Registration

The Registrar’s Office

Warriner Hall 212; 989-774-3261

The Registrar’s Office is committed to using both professionalism and the highest level of technology to provide efficient and effective services while still maintaining personal attention as a top priority. The Registrar’s Office assists the Mission and Vision of Central Michigan University through ensuring the integrity of student records, collaboration with Strategic Enrollment Management initiatives, policy and procedure interpretation and enforcement and providing data and perspective to both internal and external constituents. The Registrar’s Office provides a continuum of services throughout a student’s academic life cycle and into alumni status.

Primary services provided include: academic record creation and maintenance, ensuring compliance with the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA), enrollment verification, providing transcript evaluation, NCAA eligibility verification, final graduation audits for conferral of credentials, overseeing term course registration activities, oversight of academic scheduling and space assignments, data mining and limited analytics and support to campus stakeholders in the creation, modification and implementation of student affiliated policies and procedures as applicable.

Registration Information and Procedures

Graduate students are limited to 15 credits per semester. This includes credits taken in all class formats. The ending date of the course determines which semester the course belongs to. Generally classes ending after August 16 and before December 31 constitute the fall semester; January 1 to May 15 the spring semester and May 16 to August 15 the summer semester. Exceptions to this credit hour limitation will be granted for extenuating circumstances only and require approval of your academic advisor.

Many 500 level courses can be considered either graduate or undergraduate, depending on the students’ status. Courses numbered 600-900 are open only to graduate students. Many courses offer students the ability to place themselves onto a wait list should the course no longer have available seats. This means that if a section of a course that has a wait list available is closed, students can add themselves onto the section’s wait list and should a space open up in the section, students from the wait list will automatically be moved into the course.

Students are eligible to enroll in graduate level courses after they receive their admission letter. Initial registration must occur within one calendar year of the admission date or the student will need to reapply. Graduate students may register any time during the registration period via https://www.cmich.edu/centrallink. It is recommended that they register during the time reserved for graduate students. Central Michigan University offers the earliest registration appointment times to all active military personnel, certified veterans and those deemed eligible for VA benefits by the Dept. Veteran Affairs. Military Veterans will receive earliest Priority Date based on their official course registration date and class availability. Central Michigan University also reserves the right to permit other approved student populations earlier registration appointment times as designated.

Before registering for courses, students should verify that they meet the prerequisites. This is particularly true for internships, practica, independent studies, and thesis/dissertation credits. CAUTION: Students should always consult their advisors to determine which classes to take.

CAUTION: Students should always consult their advisors to determine which classes to take.

Note: Occasionally a student who is trying to register is told that there is a “hold” on their registration. Students who receive this message should contact Graduate Admissions at 989-774-4444 to determine the cause of the hold.

Information regarding dates and procedures for on-campus registration for a particular semester or session is published online by the Registrar’s Office at https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/registrars-office. The academic year at CMU is divided into the following sessions; two semesters of sixteen weeks each, and two summer sessions of six-weeks each with concurrent three-week and twelve-week sessions. For opening dates, see the university calendar at the front of this Bulletin.

Change of Registration (Drop/Add)

Courses may be added or dropped using Course Search and Registration. For information on registration, drop, add, and withdrawal deadlines, please visit the calendars page on the Registrar's Office's website.

Drop and Withdrawal Policy for Online Courses

For CMU Online classes, registration, drop and withdrawal dates, see https://www.cmich.edu/offices-departments/registrars-office/calendars/drop-withdrawal-deadlines.

All CMU Online courses start on a Monday and end on a Friday. Students are encouraged to frequently and consistently log into their online course, ideally every day. Tuition refunds requested prior to the start date of the course shall be made in full. The start time for CMU Online courses is 12:01 a.m. EST on the first day of class. Drop/withdrawal requests received after that will be assessed a $50 fee. Each new week for an online class begins on Monday at 12:01 a.m. EST and ends on the following Sunday at 12:00 midnight EST. The amount of tuition refunded is based on the week the request is received within. Holidays do not have any effect on this definition of a week. Students may not withdraw after the midpoint of the course.

Students who cease/fail to attend (virtual or otherwise) and have not formally withdrawn from the course will receive a grade of “E.” A charge-back for financial aid may be incurred based on student’s last date of academic participation in the class. See Scholarships and Financial Aid section of this Bulletin for additional information.

Minimum Class Enrollment

The university reserves the right to cancel any class in which too few students enroll.

Online Enrollment for Graduate Students

Main campus students who have been admitted to Graduate Studies may enroll in graduate courses scheduled through CMU Online. Non-degree admission is available for students who wish to take continuing education courses without pursuing a degree or certificate. Courses taken through CMU Online may count toward the satisfaction of requirements in appropriate authorized graduate degree or certificate programs. It is the student’s responsibility to consult their advisor to determine which courses will apply in specific programs.

Note: International students who are issued an I-20 to pursue graduate studies at CMU are restricted to enrolling in one online course per semester. The department chair or graduate program coordinator must approve any coursework done through CMU Online.

Internships, Practica, Independent Studies, Theses, Doctoral Projects, Dissertations

Students registering for internships, practica, independent studies, theses, doctoral projects, or dissertations should be aware that these courses ordinarily require the permission of the instructor and/or department chairperson prior to registration. Specific registration requirements for each course will appear in the Bulletin description; these requirements must be observed.

In addition, students may NOT enroll for more than 3 thesis credits or 6 doctoral project/dissertation credits until the Prospectus and committee composition have been approved. This is to ensure that if the Prospectus is not approved by the Director of Graduate Studies, then the student has not wasted valuable time, credits, and resources. Projects undertaken prior to the Director of Graduate Studies approving the Prospectus may be denied and the project deemed invalid.